USC receiver Joseph Lewis pleads no contest to two counts of domestic battery

Joseph Lewis, who caught four passes last season as a true freshman for the Trojans, was removed from the team roster before spring practice. (Shotgun Spratling / Los Angeles Times)

USC wide receiver Joseph Lewis IV pleaded no contest Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court to two counts of domestic battery with an injury relating to his February arrest.

Lewis agreed to a plea deal that he rejected last Thursday. With a jury nearly selected for his trial and opening arguments set to begin Wednesday, Lewis decided to accept the deal and avoid trial testimony.

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As part of the deal, Lewis was sentenced to 36 months summary probation; 60 days in county jail; a 10-year ban on owning, using or possessing firearms; enrollment in a weekly yearlong domestic violence treatment program and a protective order that prohibits him from approaching within 100 yards of the victim or contacting her.

Lewis’ jail time is scheduled to begin June 15. With “good time, work time” credit, he would serve only 30 days.

If Lewis had gone to trial and been found guilty, his maximum sentence would have been two years in county jail. A five-star recruit coming out of Los Angeles’ Hawkins High, he caught four passes for 39 yards as a true freshman for the Trojans last year and received early praise from USC coaches.

Lewis was removed from the USC roster before spring practice and remains off the roster, according to USC spokesman Tim Tessalone. Lewis told The Times last week that he hopes to return to USC once the legal process is completed. USC’s fall camp begins Aug. 3.